Orange Is the New Purple

Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 60 Episcopal bishops that advocates for background checks on all gun purchases and other violence prevention measures, is urging all Episcopalians to consider wearing orange on June 2 as a sign of their commitment to reducing gun violence in their communities.

“Poll after poll demonstrates that some 85 percent of Americans, including large majorities of gun owners and members of the National Rifle Association, favor background checks on all gun purchases, yet Congress won’t act,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark. “We need to take every opportunity to illustrate just how widespread the support for this simple legislation really is.”

The Wear Orange movement began in 2013 after Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school student, was shot to death on the south side of Chicago just a week after marching in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. Her friends asked people to honor Pendleton by wearing orange—the color hunters choose for safety—on her birthday, June 2. Their request became the symbol of the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day last year.

This year more than 85 partner organizations, including Bishops United, urge their members and friends to wear orange to commemorate Pendleton’s life and to help pass common sense gun legislation.

Members of the clergy may join a movement initiated by the Rev. C. Eric Funston and the Rev. Rosalind Hughes of the Diocese of Ohio to wear an orange stole on June 5.

Bishops United also urges Episcopalians to work for handgun purchaser licensing, as supported by Resolution B008 of the 78th General Convention, the passage of a statute making gun trafficking a federal crime, and the development of smart gun technology.

“In the gospel assigned for the Sunday after June 2, we read about Jesus restoring life to a widowed mother’s only son,” Beckwith said. “We don’t have the power to raise people from the dead, but sometimes we do have the power to keep them alive. Our hope on June 2 is that people across the country will join us in harnessing that power.”

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The Bishop of The Episcopal Church in Colorado seeks a dynamic, innovative Missioner for Faith Formation to provide resources and to implement programs that effectively equip leaders for the work of evangelism, basic Christian catechesis, and substantive ongoing formation and discipleship for people of all ages across the diocese. The Episcopal Church in Colorado includes 99 parishes and missions, 5 special congregations and worshiping communities, and 10 diocesan institutions across the state with a membership of 30,000 people.The Missioner for Faith Formation is a member of the Senior Leadership Team in the Office of the Bishop and also oversees the effective use and growth of the Cathedral Ridge camp and conference facility.Link to learn more and apply:https://episcopalcolorado.org/2017/07/leadership-opportunity-missioner-faith-formation/